Hero
by vosvanyaroc
Summary: Mako learns what it is to be a true hero, as he spends the better part of his life, sixteen years, protecting, guiding, teaching, and loving Bolin. Whether it be as an older brother, a parent, or both. Taken from a ficbending prompt.
1. Prologue: Birth

Hero

Prologue

Mako goes through life, raising and protecting Bolin, on the way learning what it is to be a true hero.

* * *

On the 15th of Sān yuè, 154 ASC, at roughly midday, Kaze Elottan held his wife's hand as she underwent labor. Her face strained and her body shone with sweat, and her cries filled the hospital ward. She had been pregnant with their second child. And now, she was finally ready to usher it into the word.

Their young son, Mako, covered his ears with his hands, frowning in discontent. He had already been upset when his parents told him he would be getting a new baby brother or sister. They had told him it was a good thing, and that he should be happy. Well it sounded like this baby was hurting his mother, and that wasn't a good thing.

He mostly didn't understand, and how could his simple two-and-a-three-quarters-old mind understand?

Mako ran away when his mother screamed loudly, and a nurse rushed to her side. Xiu Ya started babbling in some language from the Earth Kingdom, while the nurse, born and raised in Republic City, only knew the Common Tongue. She was unable to acquiesce any requests Xiu Ya might have had.

Kaze wasn't much of a help either. He didn't know what she was saying, and he was dumbstruck over the process of childbirth. His wife regained some composure momentarily as her spasms subsided briefly. She grabbed her husband's shirtfront.

"Don't just stand there, do something! Ah!" Another volt of pain rocked through her body. "Get it out of me!"

Mako was frightened by how horrifying his mother was. She was slick with sweat, screaming and raging, sometimes with words he didn't understand. She had a wild look in her eyes, and her whole body convulsed like a ghost or demon was trying to posses her. He covered his ears again and watched a spiderfly on the wall making its web.

After a few more hours, she had finally managed to succeed in birthing their second child. It was a boy. The labor had been intense, and exhausting, but she and her baby had made it out in one piece. She was weak, barely conscious. The baby was cleaned off, and handed to Kaze.

He was moved to tears at the sight of his son. Tiny, fragile, helpless. Yet he was beautiful, one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

"Mako!" Mako's father called over to him. It was more a harsh whisper, which got Mako's attention. He saw a bundle in his father's arm, and guessed that that was the baby.

He trotted over obediently, more out of curiosity than anything else. He wanted to see this thing that had hurt his mother up close first hand.

"Come meet your new baby brother Mako." At least it was a boy. He had hoped his new sibling would have been a boy like him, so they could play together, and he wouldn't be forced to stupid girly things like he would with a sister.

He peeked at the small, shriveled creature, and thought it was ugly looking. Wet, hairless, wrinkled, writhing around, small croaking sounds coming from its tiny mouth. It was hideous. This was his new baby brother? It didn't look _human_!

It started crying, a sound so abrasive that Mako covered his ears. He didn't see any point in this... thing, being a welcomed addition to the family. He was already upset that this baby had come along.

His mother had joined his father with tears springing up in her eyes, though he didn't see the point. It wasn't sad... they themselves had said it was supposed to be happy. Unless they were sad that the baby had hurt his mother so much.

"Mako? Do you want to hold him?"

"...Ok." Despite his dislike, he accepted the bundle into his arms as he sat on the edge of his mother's hospital bed. It was heavy, but he managed to hold it up. The longer he looked at it, the more he supposed it looked like a little baby boy.

The little thing grabbed at his finger with its kind of creepy hand, and suddenly he felt a little itty bitty teensy tiny spark of affection for it. He grinned slightly at his baby brother.

His father smiled brightly, something he actually wasn't that known for, and put his hand on Mako's smally head.

"Say hello to your brother, Mako."

"Hi."

If it understood him, he didn't know, but he liked to think he did. It cooed and gurgled, in what, if he pretended hard enough, sounded like a 'hi' back at him. The creature increased its grip on his finger, and Mako felt a wave of emotion hit him. Despite himself, Mako thought that it was cute.

"Whatcha gonna name it?"

"Him. This is your baby _brother_, Mako." His father corrected.

"Watcha gonna name him?"

Kaze gently plucked the little thing out of Mako's arms and handed him over to his mother, who took him up with gusto. She held him close to her, and tenderly traced a finger over his face, lingering on his tiny little button nose.

He was beautiful, and she could not repeat this to herself enough. This child was a treasure, another gleaming gem to be added to their burgeoning family. As for the name...

As her baby boy opened his tiny eyes, she spotted they were a bright, jade green- as green as her own eyes- as green as a field of grass after the first spring rain... which was coincidentally that very day.

She looked into her own husbands blazing amber eyes, eyes that Mako had inherited.

"Kaze... his eyes are green. I- I know what I want to name him."

He grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed in earnest, giving her permission to bless this child with his name. With his other hand, he held Mako close to him, who peered up at his brother, curious as to what he could actually call him.

"Bolin." It was almost a whisper, but it sounded absolutely perfect articulated by her tongue. It sounded _right_.

Her husband whispered the same name. "Bolin..." He too must have felt how suiting it was, by the fresh tears that threatened to spring up in his eyes.

"Mako." He whispered, and Mako had to strain his hearing to understand his father's instructions. "Mako... say hello to Bolin."

"Hi... Bolin. I'm Mako." He couldn't help but smile as he officially introduced himself. It _did_ sound like this baby's name... as if it had always been his. He felt inexplicably happy, over this occasion. Maybe this was what it was like to become a brother.

Bolin... Yes, he felt that they would be the best of friends.

* * *

**This is not a oneshot. The story will continue, though I realize that this actually works quite well as a oneshot. Anyway... I'll be back with an update soon!**

**As for the names of the parents. My headcanon tells me that their mom is an earthbender, and their father is a firebender. (Mostly because Bolin is obviously a mama's boy at heart- meaning he must have felt closer to her... which means it isn't hard to see them bonding over earthbending... whatever) **

**Anywayz, because of names like Zuko and Ozai and Sozin, not being real names (correct me if I'm wrong), I decided that I would just make up names for Fire Nation people. So I chose Kaze. **

**Bolin's mom has a Chinese name, because the Earth Kingdom is so heavily based off of China. **

**Elottan is their surname. I guess it makes sense for the Fire Nation to be patrilineal. So! Kaze, son of El, is his name. (I really don't know where I got El... it started off as Aile) Speaking of which- I kind of made up a Fire Nation language, Agni, which is a mixture of Sanskrit and Japanese (because, you know, Agni Kai? [A Sanskrit and Japanese word combined]) tanaya is Sanskrit for son... so I derived -tan from that. The Japanese genitive particle is -no, so I made that the genitive case. Elottan is the result. Mako and Bolin's last name would be Kazendan. Mako's children would be called Makondan, and so forth. Make sense? I know it doesn't really... but there are also spelling and pronunciation assimilations, just like in real life. **

**I haven't actually developed it to a point where I could just translate anything for anyone. But I like to enrich and worldbuild, and with a show spanning continents, where everyone speaks the same language and uses the same writing system... eh. My inner linguist cries in agony. Agni won't show up much, so don't worry. **


	2. Sickness

**Hero**

**Chapter II**

_Bolin is a sickly infant, so Mako has to learn about love and responsibility, beacuse it's his job to be a good older brother._

* * *

Mako, now four, awoke from a light slumber. Having only recently solidified his consciousness, he really didn't remember too much from when he was two, and the day Bolin was born, but the baby sleeping in a cradle across the room from him was there all the same.

Bo was about to turn two, and his parents were in a fuss. He had taken fever only a few days prior, and had yet to bring it down. He was prone to crying loudly in the middle of the night, and Mako hated it. Sometimes, even though he knew he wasn't supposed to, he would spurt fire from his little stumpy hands, he was that annoyed. His father had said that firebenders had to control themselves... he couldn't just shoot flames willy nilly.

He wanted to be a good boy, but he couldn't control himself sometimes. He blamed it on Bolin.

Mama and Daddy had always told him that he was a brother now, and he had to be a good big brother. It was his responsibility, but he didn't really know what responsibility was supposed to _mean_. Bolin was tolerable at best, and a nightmare at worst.

He didn't know how to be a good brother. But if it meant being nice, then Bo made it really hard to be nice with all his crying and getting sick.

He barely got any sleep from being woken up no less than five times a night, so much so, that he would wake up anyway, regardless if Bolin cried for his mother. This night was no different.

Bolin started coughing. Mako covered his ears, expecting the same piercing shrieks that always followed. His parents would handle it anyway. However, Bolin didn't cry, he just kept wheezing and making choking noises. It sounded like it hurt.

Mako's brows furrowed, and his face fell into a pout. Bo was hurting. He had to stop it. _That _was being a good brother.

He slipped out of his bed, and trotted down the hallway to his parents room, and rudely tugged on their sheets.

Kaze bolted up with a start, and saw Mako glaring up at him.

"What's wrong son?"

"It's Bo. He's... sick again."

His father swept the covers back and roused his wife, and they both rushed to his room, while he stood there, hoping he could just go back to sleep again.

Xiu Ya returned with a large bundle in her arms, which was Bolin, wrapped in blankets. He continued his barrage of coughing and wheezing, only occasionally getting in a desperate wail.

His parents looked awfully worried, his father scrambled around in a mad dash to do... something he thought would help. He ran up to their landlady, Nuo Ming's, door. She would know what to do.

"Mommy... what's going on?"

"It's nothing baby- everything's fine. Just- just go back to bed, and be a good boy for Mama, ok?" Her voice was laced with frantic fear. Mako was afraid himself. He started crying, afraid that something was indeed very wrong, and his mother was really upset.

His father came running back into the house. "We should be able to make it to a hospital if we hurry. Mako, be a good boy for Auntie Nuo Ming, ok?"

He wiped his eyes, resolved to be a big boy, and nodded. Nuo Ming was nice, even if she was old. She hobbled into their house soon after Mako's parents ran out of the house, Xiu Ya clutching Bolin to her chest as if her life depended on it. _His_ life certainly depended on it.

"Hello Mako. Do you remember me?" He nodded, still a little upset. She picked him up with a large grunt and carried him to a chair where she rocked back and forth slowly, humming lullabies and stroking his hair.

"Don't you worry- you're brother will be just _fine_. Just you wait and see." She herself started nodding off, as he dozed lightly in her bosom.

She awoke some time later, Kaze stumbling into the threshold. The sun was rising.

"How is he?"

"The healer is working on him." He threw himself onto a sofa with an exasperated sigh. "Xiu Ya is staying with him. The expect him to recover." He ran a hand through his hair.

Nuo Ming was a perceptive old lady... she knew when someone was holding their tongue, for better or for worse. "There's more, isn't there."

"I didn't want to upset Mako any further..." She indicated that he was still asleep in her arms, as she gently rocked him.

"The healer has seen babies like Bolin before. They're sickly, weak. Most don't live to see adulthood. This wasn't the first disease he's gotten, but it was the worst... and it won't be the last by a long shot." He put his head in his hands. "What are we supposed to do?"

"If there's anything I know, it's that the best way to solve a problem, is to have patience. You might be surprised that the issue at hand, is something altogether different from what you had first expected."

He had no time for an old woman's cryptic advice. He stood up from his slumped state, and walked somberly to the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Oh that would be lovely, thank you kindly." He set the kettle up, and brewed some jasmine tea, still consumed with pure _fear_. Fear that he would lose his young son before he could even talk... there was a good chance he would never hear his son's voice. Hear him laughing... Hear him call his father's name.

Fear he would lose his son before he could walk. He would never see him frolicking happily through fields with his brother. He would never see him dance with his wife on his wedding day...

He was tiny and helpless, and in the mercy of nature, and there was nothing he could do, but sit and wait- hoping the healers had enough skill to cure his malaise... and hope that he was quick enough on his feet to rush him there the next inevitable time it happened.

"Daddy?" He heard Mako's small voice from Nuo Ming's arms. It was small, and confused, and just as scared as he was.

"Hello, Mako. I'm sorry for all this commotion. You just go back to sleep now. Don't worry about a thing. Mommy and Daddy have everything all sorted out."

"Where's Bo?"

"He's... fine. He won't be coming back for a while... but... You can go see him whenever you like."

"Promise?"

"Yes. I promise. I swear to you on a firebender's honor, that I will never let anything happen to the two of you." Mako smiled, then yawned. He was picked up by his father, and carried back to his bed, and tucked in.

"Firebender's honor?"

"Yes... That's a promise that a firebender _cannot_ break. It's a promise that, no matter what, thick and thin, you _make sure_ you keep. Can you make me a promise? On _your_ honor as a firebender? Do you think you can do that? You're a big boy... you can handle the responsibility."

"Yeah!" He was excited that his father thought he was grown up enough to take a firebender's oath. "But... what does re- resplility mean?"

"Responsibility is something you _have_ to do, whether you want to or not, it's your _duty_."

He giggled at the naughty sounding word. "Duty... that's silly!"

Kaze sought to keep Mako's attention. "No, it's your... it's like your honor as a firebender. It's the same thing actually. It's a promise you can't ever break."

"Oh..." Mako's eyes widened in wonderment.

"So here's what you need to promise me, on your honor as a firebender."

"Ok." Mako stood up in his bed, ruining the carefully placed covers, and put his chubby hand over his heart. Kaze chuckled tiredly, and put his own hand over his heart.

"I need you to take care of your brother. No matter what happens, I want you to protect him, and love him, and keep him on the right path. Can you do that for me, Mako?"

"Yeah!"

"It's a lot of responsibility. Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh. I can do it!"

Kaze kissed his son's brow, and pulled the covers up over his shoulders, leaving the door ajar, giving him an adequate amount of light.

"I'm certain you can. You'll be the best brother Bolin could ever ask for, won't you?"

"Yep." Mako yawned, as the door was slowly closed all but a crack. He soon fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

The next day, Mako clutched his father's hand tightly as they walked through the bustling city to the hospital where Bo and Mama were. Soon, his little legs were tired, and his father had to carry him on his shoulders. He enjoyed being so high up, watching all the other people walk by. They didn't seem interested in looking at anything though. They were all walking with their heads down. They must have been pretty dumb.

They were ushered to the maternal/infant ward, and soon came across Xiu Ya cradling her tiny baby to her chest, a haggard look on her face. Bolin's little wrinkled face was red, and his hair was damp.

Kaze rushed to her side, and kissed her cheek.

"How is he?"

Her voice was hoarse from hours staying awake in silence watching over him. "He stopped coughing, but his fever hasn't gone down."

Mako climbed down from his father and watched Bolin sleeping in his mother's arms. He didn't look like he was having good dreams by the looks of it.

He tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Is he gonna be ok?"

He was still too young to detect the uncertainty in his mother's voice, nor the lie in her eyes. "Yes, baby. He's going to be perfectly alright. He just needs some time is all."

In reality, neither of his parents knew what was going to happen. They were frightened, for their son's future.

Mako gently poked at Bolin's chubby little face, which earned his mother's scolding. But Bolin grabbed Mako's finger with his hand, whimpering in his sleep.

"Did you hear that?" Mako shifted a glance from each parent to the other, back and forth, as they both held their breaths.

Mako felt something strange seeing Bolin sick and in the hospital. He looked so tiny and helpless, and fragile and weak. He couldn't defend himself, so Mako vowed to do that for him. He had made a promise!

"Can I hole him Mama?"

Xiu Ya looked reserved about that, but handed Bolin over. He was heavy, and Mako could only prop him up in his lap. He stroked his wet tufts of hair, clumped to his baby skin, and smile.

This new feeling coursed through him. It was the same feeling he felt for Mama and Daddy, only different. He _knew_ what this feeling was called, but he just couldn't place it. It was on the tip of his tongue.

"Mama? What's that feeling you get when you look at me and Bo? Or Daddy?"

She laughed, running a hand through his soft hair. "That's called love."

"Oh." He looked at Bolin again, feeling 'love' for him. He was soft and small. He was so sick. But Mama had said that he would get better. He trusted Mama.

All the same, he pet Bolin's hair again. "I love you Bo."

* * *

**So... I was thinking that every chapter would skip two years. Because, as cute as their childhoods are, we got to get to the meat of the story soon, and that regretably means killing off their parents. Because most of the story is actually after that. These early chapters only set up a precedent about Mako's character. Basically watch the show to have it confirmed. He's kind of a dick... but he means well, and is the most loyal and caring guy you could ever ask for. **

**It was no exception with Bolin. So, he may come across as 'mean' or 'dismissive' later on, even now... but what toddler hasn't done that to his or her younger siblings? It takes growth and maturity to make one appreciate them... and the death of one's parents causes quite a bit of growth and maturity, now doesn't it? **

**So... it's a little characterization trait I'm experimenting with. I hope it's not too drastic, because Mama!Mako will arrive soon enough. Just not immediately. **


End file.
